knee surgery

[kperry]

I took my 10 month old yorkie to see a orthopedic specialist this morning per request from my vet. I was shocked when he said that she should have surgery on both of her knees. My vet thought only one knee was a problem but the specialist said both should be operated on and if I don't do it she will be crippled by age 5. I am really stressed out and am looking for any help or advice. Right now they told me her front legs are carrying all the weight and she is babying her back legs. She walks, runs, jumps on and off furniture fine. I don't see anything wrong with her and would have never known unless someone told me.

[capt_noonie]

I would get a 2nd opinion for another vet and another specialist. What grade was your baby diagnosed at? Uni was diagnosed at grade 3 LP and her vet does not recommend surgery unless she really starts limping or favoring a leg. Does your baby carry either of her legs? Uni has only done it once in her whole life, and she is grade 3. i give her glucosamine supplements. While it does not make the condition go away, it can really help lubricate the joints and help the knees from popping in and out of place.

Oh i also wanted to add, if your baby is only 10 months and already truly at this stage, that's not a good sign. Do you have a contract from your breeder? This is a genetic condition, and dogs known with this problem should not be bred at all.

[kperry]

He said the groove that her knee fits in is shallow and her knee is out to the side. He would have to use pins and wires to realign the knee. I am so scared and don't know what to do. I did alert the breeder and we have been talking about it.

[capt_noonie]

Yes, that is exactly what LP is. Did your vet give a grade? 1 to 4, 4 being the worst.

Did you get a guarantee from the breeder?

[kperry]

They did not give me a grade. The breeder gives a health certificate, I don't know if that is a guarantee. Either way, I already love her and would not give her back to the breeder. Where do you get you glucosamine supplements? She only weighs 4 lbs. so how would I know how much to give her.

I so appreciate you helping me

[capt_noonie]

Well a lot of breeders are counting on the fact that you get attached to a pup and won't want to give them back or trade for another. Anyway, if you were to get another, chances are high they will have the same condition(s), bc they are from the same breeding stock. Unless you actually post your certificate/guarantee whatever you got, I don't know what if anything you can do. If you get a few opinions from different vets and specialists and they all say surgery, then you definitely need to let your breeder know about, and they should foot the bill up to the purchase price of the pup. Who knows if they will even give you a penny, bc what they SHOULD have done is never breed dogs who had this condition to begin with.

Anyway, I get my supplements from http://www.entirelypets.com I get the Cosequin brand. It's worked well for us, but then again surgery was not suggested for Uni. There are a few on here who have had the surgery. Recovery time is tough. At least 8 weeks bed rest. Just search "LP surgery" in the search box.

I strongly advise you go get a 2nd and 3rd opinion from board certified ortho specialist if possible.

On another note, Im quite surprised I am the only one responding. Is everyone else actually working?

[capt_noonie]

K, I just looked at your breeders website. Very vague, and does not post a health guarantee, only states that pups come with health certificate. That doesn't mean squat. If in fact you are talking with the breeder, and that she is actually taking your call is astounding to me. may I ask you why you decided to buy from this particular breeder? TEACUP YORKIE PUPPYS for sale, teacup maltese,tiny toy yorkies,yorkie puppies for sale,

[ladyjane]

Is this orthopedic vet board certified? You can find out by looking on this site:
www.acvs.org
If it were me, and a vet said my pup's knees were that bad, and she was running and looked fine, I would get a second opinion.

[Patti]

I would get a second opinion. I had Pixie's left leg done a few months ago because she suddenly, after falling off the bed, couldn't walk. I had 4 opinions and her knee would not stay in at all, so I did the surgery. She is doing well. My Cali who is now 5 has grade 4 in both knees and does fine with it. You can tell she stands funny but moves around fine. Since she has other health issues the vet and I decided to just wait and see if she needs it later on. My vet said she has seen dogs with grade 4 live to 14 and never need surgery.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

I would definitely get another opinion. My boy had surgery because his leg was bowed out along wih his knee being out. My girl has mild grade 2 and you would never know it. As a matter of fact i was shocked. They were in for heir dentals so the vet was able to do a more thorouh check and decided that it she is not as bad as she first thought. Thankfully.

[scaberea]

My 1 yr old, Cali just had knee surgery last wk & is doing fine. Her knee moved side to side and she was carrying the leg.

[katy-yorkie]

Buster is almost three years old and according to our vet he has been at Grade 4 for about two years now. However, the vet does not recommend surgery until his quality of life is affected. He loves to walk and swim, both of these are supposed to be good for him. He does carry his back leg sometimes, mainly when we are walking but he limps only for a second or two. He is very bow legged but I don't think he walks funny. He takes a supplement every day and I will wait a while longer before I consider surgery for him as he seems to be ok for now.

[kperry]

Well, I just wanted everyone who wrote to me giving me guidance - I went to an ortho surgeon today. He said if she is showing no signs he would not operate on her. She is very active and shows no signs of any knee trouble at all. He will check her in 6 months. I am to watch her to see if she starts to show signs of either one of her legs bothering her. If, and at that point we will then discuss surgery. He said she could live her whole life fine and never show signs. I prayed so much before her appt. today. I am so glad I got a second opinion from a specialist. Makes me question my own vet though.

[cally930]

Sometimes you feel like - they are the professionals and they know better. Who are we to question - but we should.

Great news!

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by kperry

Well, I just wanted everyone who wrote to me giving me guidance - I went to an ortho surgeon today. He said if she is showing no signs he would not operate on her. She is very active and shows no signs of any knee trouble at all. He will check her in 6 months. I am to watch her to see if she starts to show signs of either one of her legs bothering her. If, and at that point we will then discuss surgery. He said she could live her whole life fine and never show signs. I prayed so much before her appt. today. I am so glad I got a second opinion from a specialist. Makes me question my own vet though.

I am so glad you went to a specialist! Thank you for letting us know. Chances are you will never need to do surgery on her. I have a few pups here with varying degrees of LP and none have had or will hopefully ever need surgery. They run and play and have no issues.

Some vets do believe that LP must be operated on. I always recommend a specialist; but I go to a specialist any time surgery is recommended. They are the ones who deal with these things day in and day out and know best.

Just weigh it all carefully. You need to evaluate your vet by how he/she handles other issues. Is he/she up to date on immunization schedules is a number one thing to find out. If not, then I would certainly think about another vet. Any vet who is not up to date and doing continuing education is not worth a lot in my book. That is why I always look for AAHA accredited vets...it does not always mean the best vet, but there are certain standards that they must meet and continuing education is one of them.

Good luck!